Mask of Popularity
by Darkened Memories
Summary: A deeper look behind the mask to what lies beneath, exposing wounds both new and old.
1. Chapter 1

:: **Mask of Popularity** ::

(_**Warning**_: Time skipping. Lines between paragraphs show when it skips to a different time—varying between a couple hours, days, and years. If you become lost, please forgive me for being so confusing.)

: **Chapter 1** : **Kenshin Himura** :

For of all sad words of tongue or pen,  
The saddest are these: "It might have been!"

Ah, well! for us all some sweet hope lies  
Deeply buried from human eyes;

And, in the hereafter, angels may  
Roll the stone from its grave away!

--excerpts from _Maud Muller_-by _John Greenleaf Whittier_--

"You don't even know how to take care of him!" Kenshin's mother spat out, her violet eyes tinged with furious amber sparks. Her gleaming, silken mass of fire-bright hair illustrated the woman's temper, though the elegantly styled curling upsweep did not reflect her mood at the moment. Wishing she could pull at it as her temper mounted, she opted instead to take it out verbally on the man sitting across from her to the left of the attorney's desk. Her soon-to-be ex-husband.

He ran his hand through his short, ebony black hair. Trying to keep his temper in check was wearing at his fast-dwindling reserve of patience. Through gritted teeth he replied, "It isn't as if I haven't done it before! With your schedule, the nanny and I take more care of Kenshin than you do!" His Asian features, the birthright of the man's Japanese heritage, were scowling at the dismissive gesture his soon-to-be ex-wife made.

"It didn't happen _that_ often."

"You're joking, right? It happened _every week_!"

A small child clung to a worn-out teddy, its scraggly shape comforting to the teary eyed boy. The stuffing squeezed slowly out of the threadbare material and through frayed seams slowly as the pressure upon the object increased sharply along with the abrupt rise in volume of the yelling in the room nearby. Crystalline tears poured like water from his confused amethyst eyes, their almond shape being the only thing that resembled his father. Wispy strands of fiery red hair clung damply to his baby-round cheeks. Tiny hiccups escaped between the muted, whimpered sobs.

The attendant felt a deep sense of pity for the tiny boy, no more than four years old and he had to face the cruel harshness of the world. Turning dark eyes to the thick door that led to the attorney's office, she wondered how on earth his parents could act like that. She thought of her own child at home, her husband, her home and life-and simply couldn't bring herself to imagine the horrid possibility that it could end just like this. A fervent prayer that her marriage would never come to this winged its way upwards to heaven, alongside a little boy's tearful wishes that Mommy and Daddy would stop fighting.

----------------------------------------------------------------x

A sign stating _Breaking News_ flashed onto the 60" Plasma HDTV screen before a news reporter appeared. "Just two hours ago, multi-millionaire Kazuo Himura died of a heart attack in his home..."

The coffee cup Eden Himura was holding slipped from her nerveless fingers. With a sharp crack, the jade green mug hit the cherry-wood floor and dispersed into a thousand pieces. Tiny pieces of ceramic floated along on the tiny sea of coffee that slowly flowed along the dark, polished wood.

Instead of being divorced, she was now a widow. Somehow, the thought of that seemed worse by far than what she had braced herself to face. She would now never be able to see him again.

Tears welled up, hot and stinging, to cloud her vision. The woman sank to her knees with a loud cry, her slim body racked by wild sobbing.

Tiny feet pattered softly against the floor, making their way over to the weeping Eden. "Mommy?" Kenshin called to her softly, his tiny brows wrinkling with confusion and worry. He walked around what was left of his mother's cup of coffee and wrapped small arms about her shuddering form.

Eden stiffened slightly in surprise from the sudden contact, but slowly relaxed her body. Trying to control the urge to wail, scream, and cry her eyes out some more-she wiped at her face with the sleeve of her cream-colored cashmere jacket. A shaky smile found its way to her lips as she moved to hug Kenshin. "It's... it's okay, baby. I'm just... Mommy just doesn't feel very good right now." She stroked his silky fire-bright hair and sniffled a little, wondering what on earth she was going to do.

----------------------------------------------------------------x

"Hiko! Hiko, please!" she nearly started to cry again, and bit her full, lower lip to cease the trembling in her tones.

"Why won't you care for your own child? He's hurting as well." the man's gruff tone rebuked her for her weakness.

"I... I just can't!" Violet orbs darkened with pain before she closed them. A deep breath steadied her slightly. "He's too much like... _him_. I can't do this, Hiko. Not right now. It hurts too much!"

"He's _your_ spitting image."

"The mannerisms, his ways of trying to comfort me, even the little wrinkle between his brows when he frowns is just like Kazuo!" she sank down on the small chair beside the phone, her voice cracking slightly under the influence of swallowed tears.

A brief moment of silence from the other end of the line had Eden's heart racing uncontrollably. "How long."

"What?"

"I hate repeating myself. How long do you need him to stay with me?" Hiko asked again, irritation prickling the question.

"A couple... Oh, I don't know." she nearly lost control of her tears as she tried to think about the situation. "Do you think I could transfer all parenting rights to you, just for now? I don't want to do anything stupid with Kenshin."

A snort came though from the other end of the line. "Too late for that, Eden."

"Please?"

"... Fine. Do note this is mostly for Kazou's sake."

Unperturbed by the brusqueness of the man's voice, she smiled slightly, "Kazou was lucky to have you for a brother."

She could almost hear him rolling his eyes at the statement. "Yes, yes, we all know. When are you two coming?"

----------------------------------------------------------------x

Kenshin stared up at the large, dark house looming in front of him like those scary movies on TV that Mommy had told him not to watch. He clutched the ragged bear to his chest tightly, looking up at his mother with fear-filled amethyst eyes.

"It's okay, Kenshin. This is where your uncle lives, and... this is where you're going to be living for a while." she smiled down at him, but her eyes betrayed her smiling lips.

Kenshin wondered why his mother looked so sad when she had told him constantly about how much fun he was going to have.

"Come on, slowpoke." Eden teased, trying to ignore the leaden weight of her heart sinking slowly in her chest. "It's going to be bedtime before you get to the front door."

The boy shook his head vigorously, denying that statement. One of the looser eyes of the teddy bear wobbled precariously as he trotted up to her side. Before the woman could ring the doorbell, a tall man opened the door.

Kenshin's eyes widened even more at this new turn of events. The man was a giant, in the little boy's eyes, with a long mane of dark hair pulled back into a ponytail, long bangs softening his chiseled face just enough to keep the man from appearing to be evil.

His Daddy had never worn his hair that long, Kenshin noted absently, his mind busy taking in everything. The man seemed to match his house--being tall, dark, and intimidating. Upon a closer inspection, the little boy was intrigued to see that the man's eyes were similar to his father's. While Kenshin was wrapped up in staring at Hiko, Eden handed the folder containing all the necessary documents to the man. "That should take care of everything." tears started to form at the edge of her vision.

Hiko cleared his throat, trying to think of something to save him from having to deal with waterworks. Women and tears were a notoriously bad combination. "Do you want to come in? The Chinese take-out came just a few minutes ago, if you're hungry."

"I... well, I guess a few minutes won't hurt." the petite woman gave him a shaky smile. "Kenshin, baby, what are you doing?" she nearly laughed at the boy's intent expression.

"He's big." came the brief reply.

A loud, barking laugh erupted from Hiko at this. "So I am, boy." He walked down the steps of the porch to kneel in front of him. "Are you scared of me?"

Kenshin looked at him, slightly puzzled. "No. Your eyes look like Daddy's."

Another laugh from Hiko followed this statement. He picked up the small boy and swung him onto his broad, muscular shoulders, earning a delighted peal of laughter from Kenshin. "Let's go eat."

Clapping his teddy-filled hands together, the red-head beamed. "Food!"

"Already knows the important things in life." Hiko chuckled, and was relieved to see Eden no longer bordering on a weeping spell. Ducking low to avoid Kenshin's head having an accidental meeting with the doorway, he walked with long strides to the kitchen, Kenshin giggling all the way. The tall man winced as tiny hands yanked sharply on his hair as the delicious smells of Chinese food drifted up to where the child was perched. "Down, please!" the boy demanded, adding the polite request word only out of the training he had received from his parents and nanny.

"Leave my hair alone and I might." he growled half-heartedly, removing the squirming child from his shoulders. As Kenshin made a beeline to the counter that had the food placed on its shiny, black surface, Hiko turned to open a cupboard, taking out two plates. He paused to glance at Eden. Her lavender eyes shimmered like a jewel as tears cast their watery sheen over the orbs. Her lips trembled as she turned her eyes to meet his.

He knew instantly that she was going to leave. Feeling a pang of pity for the boy, Hiko nodded in understanding.

Eden took in a shuddering breath before pasting on a smile. "Kenshin?"

Peeling his eyes away from the cartons that he knew held the wonderful smells, Kenshin turned to look at his mother.

"I-I have to go now, so be good for Uncle Hiko, okay?"

Kenshin looked confused for a moment, then reluctantly left the counter to walk over to his mother. "Why?"

She knelt down to wrap her slender arms about him, pulling him close for the last time. "Mommy's got to go, baby."

"Where are you going?" Anxiety crept up, wrapping ice cold fingers around the boy's heart, "Is Daddy coming?"

A strangled sort of noise escaped from Eden's lips, "No, baby, Daddy can't come. I've got a business meeting to go to, that's all."

His brows furrowed, making a tiny line in-between. Eden had been right, Hiko admitted, it looked exactly like Kazuo's frown. With more of his mother's fire to him, however.

"Are you coming back?"

She kissed his forehead and gave him a lop-sided smile, "Of course, now be good, will you?"

Her son's violet eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion, but his still naive mind had yet to learn how to decipher hidden meanings in words and body language. Eden was grateful for his silence and walked to the door, Hiko and Kenshin following her out. "Thank you, Hiko." she hugged her brother-in-law warmly and blew a farewell kiss to Kenshin, "Everything will be fine, baby, so don't frown so much."

The boy put a round hand to his forehead and forcefully smoothed out the wrinkle that his mother seemed to dislike so much. He waved goodbye as the chauffeur opened the car door for Eden to slide in. She waved back, a tear sliding down her face, before closing the door. The car drove off, leaving behind a still waving little boy.

----------------------------------------------------------------x

It was the fifth night in a row. Hiko sighed as he leaned his frame against the wall, watching with somber eyes his nephew patiently waiting at the window. Kenshin perched on the large, dark leather sofa, his violet orbs peering out through the window into the night's darkness watching for his mother's car to pull up. She always came home at night. He slumped on the firm cushions with a tired yawn, he really hoped she came back soon.

Hiko was known to be rude, brusque, and a good many other adjectives that he personally would not quite place with himself, but that was neither here nor there. The fact of the matter was that even he did not possess a cold enough heart to tell the boy that his mother would probably not ever come back.

But to allow him to keep a false hope... Hiko couldn't decide whether or not it was kinder to tell him the truth or not. If the boy had been older, he would not have hesitated to inform him of the true situation.

He was actually starting to worry for the boy. Kenshin had grown quieter over the past couple of days. Boys his age were typically bouncing off the walls, as if they had consumed a ridiculous amount of sugar at all hours of the day, not quiet and wistful like this one. "Kenshin."

The boy looked up, his large eyes tired and his face pale. If it had been anyone else, Hiko would have said he looked haggard. Children weren't supposed to have such words associated with them, right?

"Mommy's not back yet." he whispered plaintively, lower lip trembling with turbulent emotion. "She said she was coming back."

A pregnant moment of silence followed, broken minutes later by the smallest of sniffles. Tears swam in Kenshin's vision, and he scrubbed at them with a chubby fist. His other hand was filled by Teddy's sympathetic figure whose loose eye wobbled woefully with the boy's movement.

If a picture was worth a thousand words, this scene had to be worth a million more, Hiko thought. A sudden flare of anger toward Eden burned white hot for a moment before dying with a puff of smoke. It wasn't quite her fault solely, he amended. Kazuo had his own part to play in the destruction of the child's world.

Kenshin fought valiantly to overcome the tidal wave of desolation that over-swept his young mind and brought a whirlwind of emotions that he was simply to young to understand or define to the forefront. As any young child would do when overcome by a strong emotion, he cried. Teddy became soaked with salty liquid as Kenshin buried his face into the reassuring object. Curling up into a ball, he wailed loudly as the surging emotions confused and plagued him.

The man stared at the weeping ball that was Kenshin in mild shock. After a moment of listening to heart-wrenching cries from the boy, he walked over to the couch with surprisingly soft steps and sat on the opposite cushion. Scooping up the child, he decided to ignore pride at the moment in order to ease both Kenshin's agony and the pain his ears were suffering. Two birds with one stone, he mused thoughtfully as the red-head's wails turned into loud sniffles. With a muted sigh of exasperation, Hiko noted morosely that the front of his black dress shirt was now extremely wet... and_ was that_?!

Kenshin had decided to use a part of Hiko's shirt as a tissue for the time being. Wrinkling his nose in disgust and a tiny trace of amusement, the large man simply held the boy. Once the sniffles seemed to be almost over, he decided that he had adequately finished his job. He stood up quickly and made his way to the guest room. Flicking on the light switch with an elbow, the man dumped Kenshin onto the bed unceremoniously.

The boy looked up with startled eyes as he bounced a couple of times before becoming still. Wiping his runny nose with the sleeve of his forest green, long-sleeved shirt, his violet eyes questioned Hiko's actions.

"It's time for bed." he stated shortly, in answer to the unspoken question.

Wiping his eyes with the other sleeve, Kenshin raised his arms for a hug.

Hiko simply stared at the child as if he had suddenly grown two heads and a forked tail to boot. Until he noticed Kenshin's violet orbs start to water again, the man conceded slowly. Stiffly, he bent down and gave a quick hug before standing up straight as a ramrod again. He turned quickly to leave, turning off the light as he excited.

"G'night, 'cle Hiko." could be heard, muffled as it was by the pillow Kenshin's face had burrowed into.

"'Night." came the gruff response.

As soon as he stepped outside, Hiko hurriedly removed the black shirt, taking great care to avoid that... spot. His muscles rippled as he rubbed at his tense shoulders, wondering why on earth he had volunteered (more or less) for this duty. An image of his younger brother drifted quietly across his thoughts, and another image of Kenshin superimposed itself over the first.

That was probably why.

A frustrated sigh exited from his throat as he turned sharply on his heel to the laundry room. He sincerely hoped no more shirts of his would share the same fate this one had.

----------------------------------------------------------------x

A few years later found Kenshin sweating profusely in his uncle's dojo, conveniently connected to the back of the house by a wrap-around walkway. The wooden structure had been intriguing to the seven-year-old at first, until he had had to clean it.

The wakizashi, he had found to his dismay that he was too small at present for the katana, hung heavily in his hands as he leaned forward to stretch his aching shoulder muscles.

"Taking a break, idiot student?" Hiko's voice called out from the wide doorway, causing the boy to tense warily. "One hundred more swings, and then maybe you may take a break."

Several, not-so-nice things came to the child's mind at the moment, but he kept these things to himself. He had learned years ago that stating his opinion usually wound up in a lot more training or cleaning. Moving into the required position, he began to count off the swings. Beads of sweat swam in rivulets down his heated skin as he practiced, his eyes narrowed in concentration, his brows furrowed with repressed anger.

Hiko tilted up the bottle of sake he was carrying to swallow a mouthful. The boy was showing promising talent, much more so than the all other idiots combined that he had had to work with over the years. Kenshin would be the one he would make his apprentice, teaching him everything he knew of Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu, that almost lost and forgotten ancient style of swordsmanship. As he watched his nephew's swings with a critical eye, he decided to wait on giving the child that little bit of information.

Besides, a little waiting never really hurt anyone. With a sudden stab of guilt, he decided to rephrase that thought. Waiting for something _good_ never really hurt anyone. Closing his eyes, the man retreated to his innermost thoughts. Eden had yet to come back for Kenshin. She called the boy on his birthday and Christmas and seemed to be content to leave it at that.

He wondered if he could ever be as cruel.

----------------------------------------------------------------x

"Yo! Kenshin, wait up!"

Kenshin turned, his violet eyes widened slightly as a lumpy package was sent hurtling towards his head at an alarming speed. Catching it deftly with one callused hand, he eyed it suspiciously. "What is it, Sano?"

"You know, putting on the whole surprised act works for everybody but me. I know better. You could've caught that with your eyes closed." the tall, lanky boy grinned widely as he straightened his long white jacket with jet black edging. He ran a broad hand through his brown hair, ruffling the messy spikes further. "Just open it." At his friend's wary look, he grunted in frustration, "Hurry up, you're killin' me!"

Kenshin opened the package, being deliberately slow while doing so, smirking inwardly as Sanosuke nearly starting hopping up and down in agitation. "Geez, Kenshin! You wanna wait 'til we both got grey hair or something?"

The plain dark blue wrapping finally came off, exposing s small boxed cake-only slightly mushed-and two envelopes. Violet eyes glanced suspiciously at the cake, wondering what exactly had happened to it before moving on to the envelopes. Both said, "Happy 17th Birthday!!" in bright, neon green. Kenshin assumed Sano had used his favorite highlighter to write the message, goodness knows he used it on pretty much everything else. Sano held out his hand to hold the cake, muttering apologies about its condition, the red-head caught something about his brother accidentally sitting on the package or something along those lines. Shaking his head, he opened the first envelope and stared at its contents in amazement.

"How'd you get tickets?!"

Sanosuke grinned from ear to ear, "I got contacts. You're lucky, man. It took forever to find someone who'd sell me a pair."

"Thanks, Sano." he couldn't help but grin widely as well, '_Hopefully Uncle Hiko'll let me have the night off_.'

"Open the other envelope!" chocolate eyes twinkled mischievously as the second envelope was neatly ripped open.

Kenshin's jaw nearly dropped as he scanned the contents of the extremely brief letter, if roughly a paragraph could be called a letter, found within. Snapping it shut, he felt his forehead as if checking for a fever. "I've got to be dreaming, there's no way Uncle Hiko would have written this."

The taller boy shrugged and fell into step with Kenshin as they continued to head towards school. "It took a while, but he came around." '_After me promising to help clean the dojo for a week_.'

"What's he making you do?" the red-head asked, eyes sliding over to view Sano's reaction which looked very suspicious all of a sudden. "So?"

Sanosuke whistled, trying to ignore the narrowed, searching eyes of his best friend. After enduring the unpleasant prickling sensation for roughly five minutes, he caved. "I'm gonna be helping you clean up the dojo, that's all."

"Hn." Apparently his uncle was feeling generous. Kenshin had expected something worse. "Thanks, Sano." he repeated.

"Don't sweat it." He gave his friend a mock glare, "Just make sure you don't invite some chick to go with you instead of me, got it?"

The shorter boy nodded his assent and they both walked the rest of the way in companionable silence. Or rather, they would have if they had been farther away from the schoolhouse. As it was, they were nearly at the front gate and were surrounded by hundreds of milling fellow students.

"Hey, Himura!" a loud, cheerful, and hyper voice made Sanosuke groan slightly and Kenshin brace himself firmly. Seconds later, a petite girl jumped on his back, wrapping her slim arms around his neck with a vice-like grip. What Misao Makimatchi considered a hug, most other people would consider strangling. "Happy birthday!" she chirped loudly into his sensitive ear, making him wince slightly. Out of nowhere, it seemed, she pulled a small, brightly colored square package and held it up in front of Kenshin's face.

His eyes crossed and lost focus as she shoved the package closer to his eyes. The bright orange paper shimmered in the light, and the lemon yellow polka dots seemed to be glittery... but at the distance said present was currently at, he couldn't be too sure. "Misao... I can't see."

"My bad!" Hopping down, she stood in front of the boy and held up the package for his inspection, her thigh-length ebony braid trailing merrily after her.

Well, he had been right about the colors. Taking the box from the girl, he opened it quickly, knowing from past experience that if Misao felt you were taking too long to unwrap something, she would assist. Usually, that was never a good thing.

Sano snorted as he noted the speed in which the girl's present was unwrapped, "Sure, be nice to the girls."

Ignoring the other boy's grumbling, Kenshin opened up one end of the box and peered inside.

Misao danced around him, amusement and excitement waging war for dominance in her expression. Her cerulean eyes glittered as Kenshin stared at the receipt that he had pulled out of the box.

"Oro?"

"After school, I'll take you to the shop and we can pick it up." she laughed at his confused expression. "I don't think they'll allow things like your present in school."

Both boys eyed Misao sharply, "You didn't get him a gun, did you, Misao?" "It's not a bomb, is it?"

She glared fiercely at both of them, "Don't be stupid, Rooster-head! Kenshin doesn't like guns, so why the heck would I get him one? And no, it's not a bomb. I couldn't find anyone who'd be willing to sell me any."

Chocolate and violet eyes narrowed at this cavalier statement.

Kenshin sighed as the bell rang, "We need to get to class." He took back the slightly squashed cake from Sanosuke and stuffed it in his backpack along with his other gifts before they walked up the steps, Misao busily chattering all the while about how Kenshin was going to love his present, and was that a new shirt? black really suited him, and Sano needed to get rid of that 'evil' sign he was forever wearing on the back of his jacket, but maybe it was okay considering it was his trademark symbol and all.

Both males opted to try to ignore her ceaseless jabbering.

As the group of three entered the building, the atmosphere inside changed within an instant. Many girls started to swoon, flirt, and drool over the two boys, and Misao's fan club of boys weren't too far behind them.

Kenshin Himura and Sanosuke Sagara were obviously two of the hottest guys in school, the others being Soujiro Seta, Aoshi Shinomori, and Akira Kiyosato. When the five of them hung out together, you could be sure that there would be an extremely large gathering of girls present. Kaoru was one of the few who didn't buy into the whole, "_He's so hot_! _I've gotta date him_!" routine. She was, however, best friends with Misao and younger half-sister to Aoshi Shinomori. Fortunately or not.

Misao dashed away from the crowd and jogged over to her best friend. "Whassup?" she asked cheerfully, absentmindedly fidgeting with the small green bow on her shirt. Kaoru inspected the shorter girl's appearance critically. With the lower half of her hair wound into a tight braid, and the upper half layered to frame her face, Misao was the epitome of cuteness. A shamrock green shirt with a green ribbon lining about the scooped out neck and the aforementioned bow at the right side of the neckline brought out the slight hint of green in her large eyes.

Kaoru personally could have done without the large, glittery shamrock in the middle and the words, "_Feelin' Lucky_!" underneath. She did love the black jeans her friend wore. In fact, she had a pair just like that somewhere. And the knee was ripped out in the same spot and...

"Misao!!" she hissed, sapphire blue eyes flashed with warning labels of all kinds. The most prominent stated, "DANGER!" in flashing yellow lights.

The smaller girl stepped from foot to foot guiltily, "You left them at my house, and I was going to return them tomorrow..."

The other girl snorted indignantly, "Right. Make sure you do."

"You should wear cuter clothes, Kaoru." she slyly adjusted the topic to remove danger of bodily injury to herself. Anyone else who got caught up in Kaoru's wrath was considered collateral damage. Not anything she was responsible for, anyway.

"What's wrong with them?" the girl checked to see if she had something spilled on herself. After making sure that she hadn't, she tugged slightly at her ocean blue t-shirt. "It's comfortable, and I've got Kendo practice today." Granted, she'd have to change out of the jeans she wore, but that wasn't a big deal. And the worn tennis shoes on her feet were comfortable and perfect for walking to and from school. Besides, if she ever tried to wear those stilts that Misao seemed to favor... well, she'd probably end up flat on her posterior or face. Or both. Knowing herself, she could probably find a way to manage it.

"Kaoru, Kaoru." Misao groaned, adopting a woebegone look. "I'm sure it is comfortable... but it's not cute. Or really flattering."

Before the indignant replies could roll off her tongue, the shorter girl had grabbed her arm and began dragging her off to class as the second bell rang warningly. "We'll go shopping after school."

Kenshin and Sanosuke watched the entire thing over the heads of the crowd. "Who was that?" Kenshin asked Sano as they tried to clear a path through the many girls.

"I guess one of weasel girl's friends." Sano shrugged. A sly gleam twinkled in his eyes, "Interested?"

The red-head shrugged nonchalantly, "Don't know yet. She looked different."

"Different?" the taller boy drawled out the word. "Different as in a good different, or as in freak show different?"

"Good different."

The bell rang, signaling the end of the class. "Remember you will need to turn in those projects next Friday!" the small woman that was their English teacher reminded them all with a fierce look. "Letter grades will be dropped according to how late some of you may be." she turned a meaningful stare towards Sanosuke who grinned up at her from his seat. At her nod of dismissal, the class filed out. Mrs. Asai was one of the few teachers who was able to keep the students in check with a mere glance, Kenshin thought as he scooped up his books and writing materials.

"Lunchtime!" Sanosuke nearly cheered, already looking much more animated at the thought of food than Shakespeare's and Whittier's works had ever been able to do.

"Walking stomach." Kenshin grumbled teasingly, earning a heated glare.

"Am not. I'm a walking black hole." he struck a super-hero-ish pose. 'And that's any better?' the red-head pondered, following his friend down the busy hallway to the cafeteria. There, they got into line with Aoshi and Soujiro.

Across the crowded room--Kaoru, Misao, Tae, and Sae were seated at a relatively clean, mostly gum-free table. All four poked at the dubious looking lunch, similar disgusted faces staring down at the odious mass. "Who's gonna go first?" Misao piped up, her oceanic blue eyes darting to the Asian twins. They shook their heads in unison, dark, almond shaped eyes glaring reproachfully at the smaller girl. "You first, Misao." Tae spoke up. "Yes, she who speaks up first must eat first. It's an ancient rule." Sae agreed, mischief dancing in the dark depths of her orbs.

"Yep. Don't go breaking such a time-revered rule, Misao-chan!" Kaoru chirped, "Eat up!"

"Since when has that been a 'time-revered rule'?" the girl muttered, glaring fiercely at the fork Kaoru so helpfully supplied her with. Too bad you can't melt utensils like that. With a long-suffering sigh, she ignored the fork Kaoru held up and grabbed her own, stabbing viciously at the thing claiming to be food a few times first. Just in case it wasn't dead yet.

"I wouldn't suggest doing that." a soft voice spoke up. Misao nearly jumped three feet into the air, causing everyone else to laugh. The four girls turned to welcome the newcomer to the table, their partner-in-crime, Tomoe Yukishiro. Known as the "Ice Queen" of the school, she constantly carried an air of mystery and dignity with her like a cloak. Rarely had anyone excited a laugh from the girl, Misao currently holding the highest known record of a half-dozen times. Of course, her mother had died within the past two years, leaving Tomoe to fill in the role as best as she could-so the girls were sympathetic and tried to help out as much as possible.

Meaning they stayed and chattered while looking busy. At least, attempting to look busy.

Kaoru grinned at Tomoe after the girl had seated herself by her. "So, how're you and Akira doing?"

Tomoe's eyes, darker than the night sky, slid over to glance at the sparkling blue depths of Kaoru's orbs. "Everything's fine. Why?"

"Lucky you. Misao's given me the pep talk earlier, warning that she's going to match up any of us who don't have a boyfriend yet." a roll of the eyes followed this statement from everyone but the hyper-active teen and Tomoe.

Tae sighed dismally, "All we have to do is go over to the nearest table and say, 'You want to go out with me?' and _bam_!" she slapped the table here for emphasis, "We'd have a _long_ line of guys jumping at the bit to date us."

Sae laughed at her twin's dour expression, "At least we won't ever have to worry about being single!"

"What about you, Misao?" Kaoru drawled, still picking at the mess on her tray, a debate warring in her mind over whether it was better to sit through the remainder of class with her stomach churning or rumbling with hunger. Hunger seemed to be the better option than an upset stomach.

"What about me?"

"Why aren't you dating Aoshi? He's all you ever talk about." the girl sat back, pushing her plate away.

"I just haven't found the perfect opportunity!" Misao chirped, undaunted by the fact that she had yet to ask Shinomori out.

Tomoe opened up her backpack to produce a large package. The four girls stared in awe as she unopened it. Whatever else was known about her, the Ice Queen was known for her amazing cooking. Unlike Kaoru.

Kaoru was banned from the Home-Ec class until graduation, and even then she wasn't sure if she'd ever be allowed in. Not like she wanted to, but that was beside the point.

A neat lunch was then spread out, displaying finger sandwiches neatly wrapped, five bags of chips, a small container of sliced apples, and what looked suspiciously like a peach cobbler in another container. "I apologize. There was only time for a decent dessert this morning."

"Tomoe, you're a life-saver!" Kaoru grinned from ear to ear, hugging the girl with glee. The others expressed their similar emotions after pausing to swallow. Misao paused to glance at Kaoru and Tomoe respectively, comparing and contrasting going on in her mine. Tomoe's simple white-knee length dress was still too fashionable and feminine for Kaoru to pull off. Even the small, embroidered lilac jacket wouldn't quite have worked. What a shame.

The girls fell into the old routine of chattering about the day, classes, and plans for the rest of the day. Misao suddenly remembered that she had promised Kenshin to go pick up his birthday present with him, and to go shopping with Kaoru after school.

Kaoru was more than happy to put off the trip. "Go ahead, you promised him first. I don't mind at all."

"I know, but it's not getting you out of it." the shorter girl warned wagging a fork covered in peach cobbler remains. "You can just come with us!"

"What about her kendo practice?" Tae wanted to know. "No one likes to go shopping when they're all sweaty." Sae pointed out.

"There are shower stalls in the locker room, are there not?" Tomoe interjected softly, not allowing Kaoru clamp to onto the twin's reasoning. A tiny smile ghosted across the girl's lips as she ignored the scowl Kaoru sent her way. "It wouldn't take too long for you to shower and be ready to leave with them, right?"

"No." came the reluctant answer. Misao's face beamed, "All right! You guys want to come too?"

The table quieted instantly, leaving the hyper-active girl to look at everyone inquisitively. "We have a paper to catch up on." the twins finally stated. "Akira and I have a date." came the Ice Queen's excuse. Kaoru glared at the traitors, "Thanks." She couldn't honestly blame them though. Misao and clothes shopping were two things that should never go together. The results were empty wallets and purses, with an armload of bags filled with clothing that did-in all rights-look really nice, but they were nothing she'd ever wear out of choice in public. Groaning, she sank into her seat and wished the day were over with.

----------------------------------------------------------------x

**End Notes**

I've been playing around with the concept of this story for a while now, but lacked the inspiration required for this until recently. Please review and tell me what you think! I'm considering turning this into a chaptered story, so if you like it do tell.

Critiques are welcomed with open arms!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Many thanks to everyone who reviewed!! I apologize for not having been able to update this sooner… I guess there hasn't been _too_ many problems with it, as I haven't had anyone really critique or flame it. :) (cheers) _Special thanks to those who said they enjoyed my writing! _Hopefully this chapter won't disappoint anyone.  
Both **iluvchocs** and **Himura-Goyle** have seemed to been talking to my runaway muse, as they hit on some ideas for the story. (grins) Brilliant minds think alike and all that… or was that merely intelligent minds? Ah well, we're sticking with brilliant. Double-chocolate chip cookies for both of you!

_**Warning**_: Time skipping. Lines between paragraphs show when it skips to a different time—varying between a couple hours, days, and years. If you become lost, please forgive me for being so confusing. **OC**'s may occasionally appear, but will not have romantic entanglements with original characters.

(_I forgot to put a disclaimer in the prior chapter… ehem, do note that the following disclaimer applies to the other chapter as well_.)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or its lovely characters… I just twist and use them for my many mad plots. Err, **fun** plots.

**: Chapter 2 : Of Weasels and Shopping :**

For everything you have missed, you have gained something else; and for everything you gain, you lose something.

--Quote from _Emerson_--

Kaoru Kamiya was known as the Kenjutsu Princess of the school. Meaning she usually hung out with the boys that made up that class, unless Misao or the twins dragged her away. The knowledge didn't bother the sapphire-eyed girl in any way. It was just how she was made. She wasn't overly hyper or cute like Misao—Kaoru thanked God daily for that blessing; sweet, kind, and compassionate like the twins-to a certain extent-and she definitely couldn't cook like them. There was absolutely no way she could even compare herself to Tomoe. That would be like comparing a potato to a strawberry. Two _completely_ different worlds. Well... she'd find something a little more flattering to compare herself to later, but the difference was there.

While she dearly loved all of her friends, she also loved the feel of the smooth bamboo shinai in her hands; the polished, often sweat-covered wooden floor of the dojo; the warm ache in her muscles that resulted from long hours of practice. To her slight dismay, Aoshi rarely sparred with her--on the grounds of his preference of kodachi over shinai.

Too bad.

She could just practice on... errr, _with_ the boys here. The fact that she was the reigning kendo champion of the school didn't do wonders for her dating career. In fact, while she had her fair share of admirers, they were usually too afraid of being beat up to ask her out. Add in Aoshi's threatening glares and she was bereft of the opportunity of getting a boyfriend until she went off to college. Though—she pursed her lips in thought as she moved into a different, slightly more difficult kata; knowing her brother, he'd probably have some way of keeping an eye on her there too. Joy.

He hadn't always been so over-the-top protective. When her mother was alive, everything had been okay—but within a few months after her death, her father had turned to drinking as a way to ease his pain. This had resulted in harsh words and beatings to put it simply. Aoshi had suffered through most of it, resolutely protecting his little sister from their father's fury. Kaoru often thought that was perhaps why he was so silent. He had learned at a young age to keep his words and emotions to himself, it was his way to survive.

----------------------------------------------------------------x

Aoshi staggered into the tiny room he shared with his younger sister, ice blue eyes darkened with myriad shades of pain. The boy closed the door softly behind him in hopes that Kaoru wouldn't wake up.

"Aoshi?" the girl's voice, filled with sleep, called to him softly.

He flinched slightly, jarring several bruises on his back in the process. "Yes?" Aoshi nearly bit his tongue at the rough tone he had used to answer his half-sister.

The small bed creaked and groaned as the child's weight shifted. Bright blue eyes, dimmed by sleep, blinked owlishly up at him from under the shadowed safety of the dark blue Spiderman blanket. It clashed oddly with the bright pink Hello Kitty pillow nestled under her head, the monstrous thing (in his mind) being revealed upon her sitting up. He almost winced as her eyes widened with horror when she finally noticed the dark, ugly bruises mottling his arms and face. Tears streamed silently down her pale cheeks as she quickly crawled out of bed.

"Don't worry about it." the boy stated sharply, turning to avoid her tearful gaze. It hurt even more to see such an expression on her face.

"_Why_, Aoshi?" her voice trembled with anger and sorrow, "Why does Dad hit you? You didn't do anything, did you?"

Shaking his head in answer, Aoshi barely kept himself from leaning against the wall for support from the sudden wave of pain that over-swept his lean body. Another week of long-sleeved shirt and loose jeans. Another week of dodging questions from friends and teachers. Another week that he had succeeded in protecting Kaoru.

His lips thinned into a firm line as controlled waves of frozen anger raged within his eyes, there was no way he would let that man hurt his sister. Often, Aoshi would allow himself to indulge in memories of the life he had had before his mother had married into the Kamiya family. Vague, blurred images of his real father were always like shadows—hard to grasp and just as fleeting. His mother, on the other hand, was always there in his memory. Her sparkling sapphire-blue orbs, the very same shade Kaoru had inherited, shimmered like the ocean waves when she laughed. In his black leather wallet, the boy carried a picture of the three of them: his mother, Kaoru, and himself. It was one of the few possessions he had that Aoshi held near and dear to his heart.

Kaoru's soft touches stirred him from his brief reverie as she carefully applied a healing ointment to the mottled bruises. "Aoshi?"

"Hm."

"Misao said we could come over to her house tomorrow night. Do you want to come?"

A tiny smile curled up the corners of his mouth into one of the rare smiles Kaoru always worked so hard to get, one of the few who could incite such an expression. "If you'd like."

She beamed up at him, her rosy face aglow in childish pleasure. "We're gonna eat popcorn and watch movies all night!! Mr. Okina said we could." the girl added, as if she felt that an adult's permission was needed.

Aoshi nodded periodically, his blue eyes lost in memories of long ago.

He had been almost two years when Kaoru was born. Never before had he seen a child so small, and curiosity had overtaken him for the first time in his short period of life. After his mother had smilingly explained that Kaoru was his new little sister, the boy had peered down at the squirming bundle. "I will protect her." he stated calmly, causing both his mother and adopted father to stare at the solemn faced boy before bursting out in laughter. The training he was currently undergoing with his grandfather, Okina, was apparently rubbing off. His mother felt some relief at the knowledge that her son was too withdrawn to follow the elder man in his perverted path.

"Such big words from a young child." the woman laughed delightedly, knowing her son would grow up into an honorable young man.

Little did she know that in just seven short years would she be taken from the earth.

----------------------------------------------------------------x

Kaoru shook her head, causing her long blue-black ponytail to swish along with the movement, breaking the graceful flow it had kept while she practiced her kata. She _really_ didn't want to think about that right now.

The girl had enough on her plate at the moment without the past coming back to haunt her mind. Like, overly hyper, brother-infatuated, weasel girls coming to pick her up in twenty minutes.

Twenty minutes?!

Kaoru did a quick double-take, her sapphire-blue orbs narrowing as they studied, with a small measure of hope, the face of an old analog clock that hung on the far wall of the school's small dojo. Nope, her vision had not failed her, it was indeed that late. With a muffled curse as she skidded slightly on the polished wooden floor, she dashed over to the left side of the room to replace the weapon amongst the neat rows of its fellow shinai hanging temptingly on the wall. Resisting the powerful urge to pick it back up and practice some more, the girl turned sharply on her heel as she ran off to the locker room to quickly shower and change.

Fortunately, years of kendo and Misao's absurd schedule had forced her to learn how to take short showers. As soon as she had stepped out of the shower stall dripping wet and pleasantly warm from the steamy mist that surrounded her form, Misao's voice could be heard in the dojo next door. Usually you couldn't hear much through the walls, but the petite girl was known for being loud.

Heaving a sigh, Kaoru toweled off and dressed quickly, opting to braid her hair on her way out rather than have Misao burst into the room to drag her out. Once had been more than enough. The boys who had been present in the dojo that day still sported dark bruises from when they had laughed at the sight of Misao dragging a half-dressed Kaoru out of the locker room.

Kenshin sighed quietly as he followed Misao into the practice hall for those in kendo, knowing if she caught the unpleasant sound he would be in for an earful. His eyes roved critically over the rows of shinai hanging neatly upon the far left wall, moving on to the floor-length mirror that constituted as the opposite wall. He wondered absently what it would be like if his uncle had bought into the whole "you shouldn't use real swords when training kids" idea. The teen shook his head and snorted, yeah, right. Then, after noting that it was smaller than his uncle's dojo, he belatedly realized that Misao was actually requiring a response to what she was rambling on about.

"... so I think you should come too." she finished excitedly, not noticing that her friend had periodically tuned in and out of what she was saying. Her cerulean eyes narrowed into an intense glare, "And don't you dare say no!"

"Oro?"

Fortunately, Kenshin was saved from another bout of Misao's ceaseless chatter when the girl he noticed earlier that morning came out from the locker room. Her face looked decidedly irked as she plaited the long, damp strands of ebony hair while walking towards them. "Misao," she grumbled as she wrapped the end of her braid with an elastic band, "I really don't have time to go shopping, and-"

"Kaoru!"

Kenshin took a discreet step backwards. It was almost comical how easily the girl's mood changed. Sometimes, both he and Sanosuke wondered if she was bipolar. The others had been disinclined to offer an opinion, as that might have reached the petite girl somehow. Bodily injury usually resulted from expressing personal opinions on such things.

The petite teen waggled her finger at the Kenjutsu Princess, "You are so not getting out of it! Now stop complaining and let's go!!"

Offering Kaoru a sympathetic look, the red-head turned to follow Misao. He was mildly curious as to what she had bought for him this year, and more than a little wary. Last year, she had somehow managed to find an extremely rare, extremely valuable, ancient tanto—and had given it to him for his birthday. Uncle Hiko had nearly died of laughing when he saw the weapon, causing a small rift between the man and Misao for a couple days. Not like his uncle had minded the break.

A corner of his mouth quirked upwards as he thought of the tiny weapon. A tanto wasn't very useful, considering the harsh practices he was forced to endure, but he had thanked the girl for her kind gift—even if he was still unsure whether or not he wanted to know how she had come across it. Eventually, he had decided that some things were just better off not being known.

As they walked through the almost empty hallways of the school, Kenshin paused for a second as he heard the low thudding sounds of someone running. Kaoru noticed and turned to ask the boy what was wrong when a shout echoed down the hallway, "Oi! Kenshin, wait up!"

Sanosuke dashed down the hall at a breakneck speed, rounding the corner and almost colliding into a group of girls in his hurry to get to Kenshin. With a brief apology, he ignored the indignant looks they all shot him as he came to a halt in front of the trio. "My little brother's got a kendo match, and Dad wants me to go watch him since he can't. Sorry, man."

"That's okay," Kenshin grinned, "Hope Yahiko does well. Wish him good luck for me."

The taller boy saluted playfully, his chocolate eyes filled with amusement, "And here I thought you were gonna say 'break a leg'."

Kaoru grinned at him, immediately liking his demeanor and the fact that his little brother was apparently into kendo, "You're already trying to do that."

"Yeah, and trying to kill people in the process, bird-brain." Misao agreed, laughing at the slightly chagrined expression on his face. She looped an arm around Kaoru's, and wrapped her other arm around Kenshin's. "We're gotta go now, otherwise the store'll close. Later, Sano!"

"See ya." He winked down at the girls and clapped Kenshin on the back good-naturedly, "Don't let the weasel run you ragged." He loped off, leaving behind an aggravated girl struggling to break free of Kenshin's and Kaoru's restraining hold.

"I'm gonna _kiiiill_ you!!" she hollered at his retreating back, causing the tall boy to laugh and wave cheerfully back to Misao as he left.

"Whadd'ya think?" the cerulean-eyed girl bounced up and down, nearly exploding with her barely contained eagerness. "It took forever to find!! Do you like it?"

Violet orbs stared down at the sakabatou in his right hand, the metal sheath firmly held in his left. He had no clue how his uncle was going to react to this one. He didn't even quite know how to react to it himself. After having practiced with a katana and wakizashi for the vast majority of his life, it felt odd to hold a sword that appeared to be upside down.

The silvery blue blade winked brightly in the yellow light that filtered down from the overhead lights in the antique weapons shop. It was an amazing piece of work, Kenshin noted as he scrutinized the weapon. The blade had been made by a master's hand, and even with his minimal knowledge of such matters, he could see the professional craftsmanship clearly.

Apparently he had been quiet for far too long. "I'm sorry! I knew I should've got that katana so you could've practiced with it!" Misao's eyes watered slightly. She had really hoped that he would like it better than he had the tanto.

"It's perfect, Misao." the boy reassured her, his mouth curving up into a pleasant smile. At least it hadn't been anything horribly dangerous or explosive. You had to be most grateful for the little blessings in life.

Kaoru couldn't help but notice that even though Kenshin was a little puzzled with the gift, he went out of his way to make sure her friend felt as though she had given him the thing he wanted most in the world. Okay, more than a little exaggerating on her part, but he was still really nice about it.

And really cute.

Her interested gaze left his face to the red flame of his hair, and was almost disgusted when she noticed that it looked much more silky then hers did. 'Highly unfair.' the girl groused mentally. 'It's pretty, it's shiny, and it's about as long as mine. I wonder...' shaking her head to clear sudden bad thoughts, she continued in her blatant perusal, 'Nah, can't be gay. Hopefully. That would _totally_ suck if he were.'

As Misao started to reassume her normal, cheerful self, Kaoru was startled to find Kenshin's amethyst eyes glancing curiously into hers and realized dimly that she had been staring at him for far too long. Clearing her throat self-consciously, she smiled at him. "That's a really interesting gift, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is." he agreed, curiosity passing briefly over his expression.

Misao grabbed the two by the arms and tugged them out of the shop, the wind chime tinkling merrily as they exited. "Come on! We've got some shopping to do!"

Kaoru groaned loudly, causing Kenshin to smirk.

"Have fun!" the red-head began in a cheerful tone as he untangled his arm from Misao's.

"I don't think so, Himura! You're coming along with us!" she declared resolutely, the look on her face daring him to say no.

Debating the pros and cons of taking off or sticking around, Kenshin decided he could spare an hour or so. Hopefully less, but this way he would definitely become acquainted with Kaoru. She had definitely seemed interested. An amber gleam flashed briefly in his eyes before he bent his head forward a little to allow his long, slightly messy bangs to cover the tell-tale sheen.

He heaved a dramatic sigh for the girls' benefit, earning giggles from both of them. "I'm coming, I'm coming." Misao then looped her arm about his, and Kenshin couldn't help but think as if he had suddenly acquired a human ball and chain.

An hour and a half later found Kenshin bored out of his mind, waiting outside the girls' dressing room on the uncomfortable light blue plastic seats, along with all the other unfortunate males that had been dragged along by their respective female friends. It had been a little difficult getting into the mall with his new sword, but the three of them convinced the security guard they had been doing some early shopping for Halloween. Between their innocent faces, and Kenshin's slight appearance—which Misao had played up, much to the teen's discomfiture—the guard had finally left them alone, walking off muttering about crazy kids.

"What do you think of this one?" he heard Misao ask Kaoru, and slumped further in his seat. Perhaps it would've been wiser to have snuck off. The boy was starting to lose circulation in his lower limbs from all the sitting he had been doing.

"Misao, you look good in everything. Can we go now?" Kaoru complained loudly. The male occupants waiting along with Kenshin grinned widely upon hearing this. It was a definite oddity to hear a female want to stop shopping, and Kenshin was pretty sure they were wishing that the other women were like that.

"Not yet. You've only found a couple of things!" Misao reappeared, the clothes she was planning to purchase filling her arms.

"I don't need a ton of clothes." came the flat retort as Kaoru followed sulkily, her petal pink lips pursing into a full-blown pout. Tracing the contours of her mouth with his eyes, Kenshin leaned back against the chair with an easy smile. Definitely a good different.

"You don't own a ton of clothes." she paused to pick a pale blue shirt up and admired the scrolling beadwork done in varying shades of complementary blue tones. "I do." With a contemplating expression, she held the shirt up to see if it might look good on her friend. A pleased smile caused her lips to quirk upward as she shoved the said shirt into her friend's arms. "Go try that on with the beige capris."

Kaoru rolled her eyes, "Yes, ma'am."

As the taller girl stomped off to the dressing room, Misao flopped down on the free seat beside Kenshin. "I don't know what to do with her!" she groaned loudly, pulling at her long bangs in exasperation.

"I heard that!" Kaoru's muffled yell caused the girl to squirm slightly in her seat.

"Anyway, after Kaoru's done, we're gonna hit the food court. You want to come?"

With casual grace that comes with many years of training in a field that requires calculated precision in the body's moves, Kenshin fluidly rose from his uncomfortable seat and smiled. "That'd be great, Misao, but I have to go home."

"Hiko's making you cook again?" her blue eyes winced in sympathy.

The boy grinned at her look, "If I didn't, we'd be eating takeout every night."

"Good point. You guys would start looking like this!" Misao held her arms out as if pretending her stomach had bloated to the size of a giant pumpkin and puffed air into her cheeks.

Kaoru stalked back out of the dressing room to where the two were seated. She tossed her head and put a hand on her hip after raising a questioning eyebrow at Misao's new look, "Well? Will this do?"

Her friend looked at her appearance critically for a moment, then nodded. "I like it, it really pops out your eyes. Whadd'ya think, Himura?"

A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth even as he fought to hide it. "I agree with Misao. But..." he stood up slowly, and neared Kaoru. She eyed him warily as his hand moved to her hair, the last time a boy had touched her hair (aside from Aoshi's tugging at the mass to get her attention) she had found a nasty large wad of faded green gum. Needless to say the jerk who had done the foul deed had severely regretted it within the next few seconds. Detention had not even taken away from the victory, as the wuss had had to go through it as well.

He smoothly removed a price tag that had lodged itself into the top of her braid, allowing the smirk to finally cross his lips at her blush upon seeing the paper. "I don't think you're for sale."

Misao smiled, mischief twinkling merrily in her eyes, "She's still single, Himura, so name a price. We might be able to work something out."

Kaoru flushed darkly, the hot pink hues spreading like wildfire upon her cheeks and eartips from both embarrassment and anger. "Don't make me hurt you!"

With a glance down at his watch, Kenshin looked back up to see Kaoru attempting to strangle the weasel. With a feeling that it would be near impossible to break this one up, the boy decided it was time to go. "Later, Misao. Oh, and Kaoru?"

She paused long enough to look up, her face still cutely flushed and eyes flashing with barely restrained temper.

"Make sure to get that shirt." he smiled briefly, amber sparks glinting in the deep pools of violet, before turning around and leaving the dressing room. His movements were unhurried as he exited the store, knowing full well that the girl was in a state of shock and would not be able to think of doing anything to him before he was long gone.

"Why I ought to!!" the girl growled, face flushing even more furiously, her fist raised and shaking in the direction Kenshin had disappeared from.

"You heard the man!" Misao cheered, pushing her recalcitrant friend back towards the dressing room. At the blank stare she received from her statement, she shook her head with a mournful sigh. How on earth could someone get so riled up about something so simple? It's not like he had asked what size jeans she wore. "So, let's buy it!"

Ignoring Kaoru's protests, despite the increasing volume, the quick-minded girl soon had the Kenjutsu princess standing outside the store with a loaded bag of clothes in each fisted hand.

Death threats could easily be ignored at this point, especially when she could defer the chewing out with promises of food and sweets.

----------------------------------------------------------------x

As he walked the several blocks back to the high school, where his car was parked, Kenshin pondered whether or not it would be wise to ask Kaoru out within the next 48 hours. As these thoughts crossed his mind, he jumped slightly as his cellphone both vibrated against his thigh where it was snugly residing in his jeans' pocket, and rang a decidedly feminine song.

Sano was _definitely_ going to die.

Slowly and painfully, if Kenshin had anything to do with it. And he would.

Digging out the offending cell and flipping it open, he didn't bother to check the number before answering somewhat sharply. "Hello?"

"Kenshin?"

His world immediately stopped spinning on its axis and stopped with a jarring thud. His mother had called him.

----------------------------------------------------------------x

**End Notes**

Hmm, not as long as the previous chapter, but I kind of (almost… sort of) like how it turned out. To provide a little inside as to where the story is going… (to somewhat quote Mrs. Q from Ceres Celestial Legend—the manga—"I'm not going to tell!") J/k, but we will be seeing a little into the character's various pasts within each chapter's opening. I'm not going to do the whole ruroken cast's past, just a certain few.

Thank you for reading! The authoress lives off of reviews, so do feed her. :) See you guys next chapter!


End file.
